Council has approved the establishment of a Water Services Committee (WSC), marking a major step forward in how we manage the district’s water services.
The committee has been established to oversee the operations of Council’s internal business unit (IBU), which will manage water services under the Local Water Done Well reforms. Its purpose is to provide strategic direction, robust oversight, and ensure the right systems, processes, and information are in place as the district transitions to in‑house delivery.
One of the first orders of business for the committee will be to oversee the setting up of the IBU. They will provide guidance in developing the district’s Water Service Strategy and ensure compliance to the Water Services Delivery Plan that Council submitted to the Department of Internal Affairs.
The committee will consist of:
- An independent Chair (recommended by the Chief Executive, agreed by the Mayor and Deputy Mayor)
- A Deputy Chair (selected from the following five members)
- An independent appointee (recommended by the Chief Executive, agreed by the Mayor and Deputy Mayor)
- An independent runanga appointee (nominated by Te Runanga o Waihao and Ngāi Tahu, appointed by Council)
- Three Councillors (appointed by Council).
Council also agreed that remuneration for independent appointees will be $1,391 plus GST per meeting and any other reasonable expenses. The next step will be the appointment of the Independent Chair, followed by the appointments of all other members of the committee.
